Going Radical: An NPR News Investigation
by Dina Temple-Raston
This investigative piece is exactly 7 minutes and 31 seconds long. While the feature is interesting, it is somewhat too long. In fact, I tuned out a couple of times. However, the beginning is interesting and it catches the attention of the listener by telling the story of the young Muslim man who spent his time in London immersing himself into Islamic fundamentalism. The story is interesting to me simply because I follow the news; however, it is not unique. It is just another story talking about another young man who turns into a Muslim radical. However, the reporter’s voice does not sound monotone, therefore it is easy to follow. The quality of the sound is crisp and clear. This is important since it would be terrible to listen to if it was long and had bad quality. Overall, the production quality of this story was very good and the interviews that the reporter conducted throughout the story were very clear and easy to follow.
This piece can be found at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123663212
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Love Shack from World Vision Report
by Will Everett
This story is about a local Senegali man who has a small shack where he makes herbal
medicine, specifically love potions. It is a very interesting story that incorporates science, magic, and love. The only interesting parts where the interviews that the reporter had conducted with the Senegali man and his customers. However, the reporter’s voice sounded very monotone and uninterested.
This story is about five minutes long, however, I felt that it should have been longer. I was very curious to learn more about this man and the type of herbal medicine he practices in Senegal. Also, the story was missing the viewpoints of other local residents from the village who truly believe in this medicine man's work and actually go to this man for help. Overall, the production quality, the length, the reporter's sources and his voice in this story could have definitely been better.
This piece can be found at:
http://www.worldvisionreport.org/Stories/Week-of-February-13-2010/Love-Shack
